Days Of Dearing
by Lord Kristine
Summary: This is the story of Claire Dearing. This is how she learned what she knows. This is why she feels the way she feels. This is how it all began.
1. Childhood

Claire does not like being ignored. To her, the kind of people who don't listen to her are the same people who are headed for disaster. She's the smartest person in her class, after all. She might even be the smartest person in her grade. She doesn't mean to act pompous, but it's hard when all of her classmates are so . . . _simple_. If they would only listen to her, things would go a lot smoother. They'd get school projects done early, and their grades would be better, too. But no one listens to Claire. They think she's bossy. If she is, it's only because her ideas are so much better than everyone else's.

There is one person who listens to Claire, and that person is Karen. Karen doesn't have the courage to challenge Claire's authority, especially since she is the older sister. Claire quite enjoys playing games with Karen for this reason. She's a big pushover, and Claire takes advantage of that.

"Pretend we're in a magic kingdom, and I'm the queen."

Karen pouts.

"Can't I be the queen this time?"

Claire frowns.

"No, you can't."

"Merriweather wants a turn."

She holds up a purple pony with a yellow mane. Claire knocks it to the side with her own horse.

"Lickety Split is the queen."

Karen whines sadly. Claire decides on a compromise.

"Merriweather can be the princess."

Karen nods.

"Okay. Merriweather is the princess."

Claire marches across the lawn and picks up a dead butterfly with orange wings. Using a small wad of Blu-Tack, she stick it on her horse's shoulders.

"There. Lickety Split is the queen, because she has fairy wings."

Claire knows what Karen is going to ask next.

"Can Merriweather have wings too?"

"No. She can have a unicorn horn."

She sticks a dirty twig on her sister's pony.

"There. She's a princess."

Karen picks up another twig.

"Do you want one too?"

Claire snorts.

"Have you ever seen a queen with horns?"

Karen shakes her head.

"Then I don't want it."

Karen looks away sadly and puts the twig in her pocket.

"Good. Now, pretend we're going to the palace."

Claire flies her horse over to a pile of rocks. Karen follows, holding her pony a few inches off the ground.

"We're here to make trades with the governments of other countries," Claire continues, "Our plants are the best around, so we can get a lot of diamonds for them."

Karen frowns.

"This is boring. I want to go on an adventure."

Claire gives her a murderous glare.

"Do you want to play with me or not?"

Karen bows her head in submission and nods. Claire gives a victorious smile and plucks a white flower from her mother's garden.

"This is the best flower. We keep it for ourselves because it's the prettiest flower on earth. Everyone wants to have it, but we don't let them."

Karen grumbles.

"Mom's gonna get mad at you for picking that."

Claire stomps her foot.

"That's why you have flowers in the first place, dummy. What's the point of just leaving them there?"

Karen sighs.

"I don't wanna play anymore."

She tries to walk away, but Claire blocks her path.

"You're going to play."

"No, I'm not."

"Play, or I'll tell Mom that _you_ picked the flower."

"I didn't pick it."

"I'll tell her anyway."

Karen whimpers.

"Okay. I'll play."

She places her pony on the pile of rocks just as Claire does. Somehow, they manage to topple the structure.

"Look what you did!" Claire sneers, "You messed it up!"

Karen shakes her head.

"Did not! That was _your_ fault."

"No, it wasn't! You ruin everything!"

Karen crosses her arms.

"I'm not playing anymore. You're being mean."

As she walks away, Claire sighs reluctantly.

"You can be a queen."

Karen keeps walking.

"I don't want to."

"Yes, you do. Everyone wants to be a queen."

"I don't."

"Yes, you do, and if you don't, something's wrong with you."

"I don't care."

Claire growls and runs up to her.

"Play with me."

Karen shakes her head.

"No, no, no!"

Claire hits her hard, but not hard enough that she'll tattle. Karen screams in frustration.

"Stop it, Claire."

"Play with me, or I'll tell Mom about the flower."

"I don't wanna! I don't wanna!"

Before Claire can drag her sister back to the yard, their mother opens the screen door and smiles at them.

"Hey, girls. Are you playing nicely?"

Claire frowns.

"Karen picked a flower and broke my palace, and now she doesn't want to play."

Her mother gives a look of recognition. She's no stranger to Claire's fact-twisting.

"Claire, are you telling the truth?"

"Yes."

"The whole truth?"

"Yes."

Her mother turns to Karen.

"Is she telling the whole truth?"

Claire gives Karen a threatening glare. She glances to the side uneasily.

"I don't know."

Claire can't believe how stupid Karen is. By giving a response that is neither here nor there, she has unintentionally revealed that Claire was lying. Her mother knows this, and Claire suspects that she knew the answer before she asked.

"Claire, apologize to your sister."

"I didn't do anything!"

Her mother shakes her head.

"Karen looks upset. Apologize to her."

"For what?"

"Whatever you did wrong."

"I did nothing wrong! I was going to let Karen be a queen!"

Her mother gives her a stare that makes her feel very small.

"Apologize."

Claire balls her hands into fists and speaks through her teeth.

"Sorry."

Her mother crosses her arms.

"That's not good enough."

Claire snuffs angrily.

"I'm sorry."

"Try again."

Claire keeps as much bitterness in her voice as possible.

"Sorry."

"Again."

Claire sighs.

"I'm sorry, Karen."

Her mother nods.

"Okay. Come inside. Lunch is ready."

She walks through the screen door and enters the kitchen. Claire follows, but not before grabbing her sister's arm.

"If you do that again, I'm never going to play with you. Ever."

Karen sniffles and runs through the door.


	2. Adolescence

Claire has been invited to Tracy Becker's house. Tracy is the most popular girl in seventh grade, and hanging out with her and her subordinates will surely elevate Claire to her level. She's pretty enough to be one of the cool kids, after all, even though people sometimes tease her about her red hair. Everything will change now. Claire even bought new eyeshadow to impress the other girls. The only thing in her way is her mother. If she asks her to look after Karen for the day, her meeting will be a complete disaster. There's nothing more uncool than having a stupid sibling trailing behind you constantly. But that's the worst case scenario. It's very possible that Claire will get away with it. She ties up her hair with a scrunchie and stands in the doorway.

"Bye, Mom! I'm going to Tracy Becker's house."

"Great!" she calls from the other room, "Can you take Karen with you?"

Claire knows that she isn't supposed to curse, so she does it under her breath.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes. You hardly ever play with her anymore."

Claire groans.

"I just played with her yesterday . . ."

"No excuses. Take your sister."

Fifteen minutes later, Claire arrives at the gas station. Karen is waddling behind her, and every time she tries to skip, Claire gives her a firm kick. She spots Leah and Megan leaning against one of the gas pumps and struts over casually.

"Hey."

"Hey," Megan says.

"What are we gonna do?" Claire asks.

"Wait for Tracy."

Claire laughs.

"After that, I mean."

Leah peeks over her shoulder and sees Karen smiling up at her.

"Who's this?"

Claire gulps.

"Oh, she's my sister. Just ignore her. She won't give us any trouble."

Before Leah can reply, Tracy comes jogging out of the store.

"I got everything we need."

She shows them her pockets, which are stuffed full of junk. Claire gives a puzzled frown.

"Didn't the clerk give you a bag?"

The girls laugh.

A few minutes later, they're at Tracy's house. They leave Karen downstairs with the TV on and make their way up to Tracy's room. Once there, they all sit on her bed and dig through the haul. Claire is alarmed to see that Tracy has nabbed a pack of cigarettes, and hopes that they don't expect her to smoke them.

"Okay, first things first. Let's get our ears pierced."

Claire feels her heart flutter in fear as Tracy holds up a sewing needle and a cotton ball. She wrings her hands uneasily.

"Do you know how to do it?"

Tracy laughs.

"Of course I do. I pierced Cindy's ears."

Well, if she's done it before, maybe there's no harm in trying it out . . .

"I'll go first," Megan volunteers.

She heads into the bathroom with Tracy. Claire and Leah sit awkwardly on the bed and wait. There's a sharp cry from behind the door, and Claire feels her heart racing. She can't do this. Her mother would be furious, and besides, it sounds really painful.

When Megan comes out of the bathroom, she's holding cotton balls on both of her ears. She sits down beside Claire with a pale face.

"Who's next?" Tracy asks.

Claire tries not to make eye contact with her, but it makes no difference. She seems to smell her fear like a wild leopard.

"Claire."

She jumps a little.

"I . . . I don't know if I want to-"

"Are you chicken?"

Claire shakes her head.

"No."

"Then come on."

They walk into the bathroom, and Tracy makes Claire put her head in the sink.

"Just relax. It'll be quick."

Claire shivers when she sees the needle.

"So, what's your favorite kind of music?" Tracy asks as she leans in.

"Disco."

"That's lame."

"I know," Claire quavers, "I was just kidding."

Tracy pulls on the bottom of her ear.

"Megan is such a wimp. She almost cried."

Claire laughs nervously.

"Yeah, she's really lame."

Tracy nods.

"Alright, here I go . . ."

She stabs Claire's ear, and it takes all of her strength not to shriek. She clenches her fists and tries to think of other things.

"Done. You're gonna look really pretty with earrings, Claire."

She manages a small nod. Tracy wipes off the needle.

"Ready for the other ear?"

Claire is about to reply, but she notices Karen peeking through the door. She snaps to attention, glaring at her furiously.

"I told you to stay downstairs!"

Karen whimpers and backs up.

"What are you doing, Claire?"

She tries to push her out the door.

"Nothing! Go away!"

"I'm telling Mom!"

Before she can stop her, Karen bolts down the stairs and out the front door. Claire sprints after her, dripping blood all over the carpet.

"Karen! Karen!"

Karen makes it home before Claire does. Just as she expected, her mother is furious. She gets yelled at for fifteen minutes, and then she is sent to her room. Claire flings herself onto her bed and starts crying. She's blown her chance to be popular, and by Monday, Tracy will have told everyone what happened. With a bitter sob, Claire takes all of her old records and dumps them in the trash. After a beat, she retrieves them. Somehow, she can't bring herself to let them go.

When her mother comes into her room to disinfect her ear, she gives Claire one of her mom-speeches. Claire is too upset to pay attention, but she does remember one thing. Her mother tells her that she doesn't have to change herself to fit in, and that there will be plenty of people who will like her for who she is. Claire is smart enough to know that this is just another lie that parents tell their kids.

No one will like her if she isn't pretty.


	3. Youth

It's prom night. Claire is the valedictorian of her class. She is wearing a fabulous purple dress that cost over a thousand dollars. Her date is a man named Donny Cahil. She calls him Don. The only reason she's with him is because she's afraid of what will happen if she doesn't have a date for the prom. She has something of a reputation in her school, namely the fact that she's a loner. It's not her fault: she just doesn't like a lot of people in her class. They're always smoking behind the department store and getting into trouble.

In any case, she made a decent choice when she decided to go after Don. He's the most attractive student in the graduating class, so at the very least she didn't get stuck with some loser. Unfortunately, she has to dump him tonight. She doesn't love him. He seems to like her just fine, but Claire suspects that he's only interested in one thing. He has to go. Claire feels really shitty about it, but that's just the way it is. As they slow-dance in the dark auditorium, he smiles down at her.

"You look beautiful."

Claire gives a bitter laugh.

"Yeah, three hours of makeup will do that to you."

He lifts her chin with his index finger.

"Hey. I love you."

Claire gives him a fake smile.

"That's nice."

Don looks put off. He soon forgets it as they make their way to the edge of the crowd. They send a few silver balloons into the air as they dance.

"You're really good at this," he says warmly, "You have natural rhythm."

Claire nods.

"Yeah . . . Can I ask you something?"

Don smiles.

"Sure."

"Where do you see this going? Our relationship, I mean."

He chuckles and puts his chin on her head.

"Wherever we want it to go."

Claire exhales nervously.

"Well, it's going to be hard to keep in touch when we go to different universities . . ."

"We can write letters. Plus, we'll both be home for Christmas. We can hang out then."

Claire feels her stomach twist.

"I don't know if that will be possible."

Don takes her hand.

"Claire, I will do everything I can to make it possible."

Claire doesn't know what to say. She looks around for an excuse to leave. Lo and behold, her family is waiting by the door. She waves at them and turns to Don.

"I'm gonna go catch up with my sister. Don't go anywhere, okay? I have something really important to tell you."

Don leans in for a kiss, but Claire is already gone. She lifts her dress as she runs over to Karen, and they share a hug.

"Claire! Oh my god! You look _beautiful_. You're just like a princess . . . Sorry, like a _queen_."

Claire smiles.

"You look awesome, too."

"Do you wanna get some punch?"

"Sure."

They make their way over to the snack table and fill two glasses. On the way to the benches that line the auditorium, Claire purposefully avoids making eye contact with Don. She sits down with Karen, and they watch everyone dance beneath the blue light that the disco ball is reflecting.

"Your date looks nice," Karen remarks.

Claire rubs her arm guiltily. She fiddles with her corsage and sighs.

"I feel bad for leaving him, but . . . Oh, god. He's gonna be so crushed when I end it."

Karen puts her hand over Claire's.

"It's okay, Claire."

She shakes her head.

"No, it isn't. Everyone's gonna think I'm a bitch."

Karen smiles.

"It's only high school. When you go to uni, you can make yourself a whole new identity."

Claire nods slowly.

"That . . . actually makes sense. Yeah, I think that could work."

Karen kicks away a balloon with the side of her foot.

"You can be Claire Dearing: Marine Biologist Extraordinaire. You'll work with whales and sharks and . . . starfish . . . um . . . _coral_ . . ."

Claire smiles.

"I'm not aiming for a hands-on job, Karen. I want something comfortable. I want to be able to sit behind a microscope and do some good from afar. That way, people will know who I am, but I don't have to put myself at risk."

Karen bites her lip.

"Claire, I'm a little worried about you. You can't spend your whole life away from people."

"There will be plenty of people," Claire reassures her.

"I know, I know. It's just . . . Well, you're going to be so far away from home. I'm really gonna miss you."

Claire puts her arm around her shoulder.

"Me too, but you shouldn't worry. We'll see each other over Christmas break . . ."

Karen takes a shaky breath.

"Mom says that when we grow up, we may only have each other. Are we still gonna be sisters when you're gone?"

Claire laughs.

"Karen, don't believe everything you see in made-for-television movies. Being far away from your family and working a lot doesn't necessarily mean that you'll grow apart from them. If a person is intelligent enough, they can balance every aspect of their lives."

Karen gives a weak smile as tears slip down her cheeks.

"If anyone can do it, it's you, Claire."

They share a hug. Claire closes her eyes tight, fighting her own tears.

"Karen, I promise that we'll always be sisters. We'll look out for each other, and nothing will come between us."

Karen wipes her nose.

"Are you embarrassed by me?"

Claire frowns.

"Why would I be embarrassed by you?"

Karen sniffles.

"I always say the wrong thing. I'm putting my foot in my mouth constantly. I'm so awkward . . ."

Claire shrugs.

"Only when you're out of your element."

Karen sighs.

"God, Claire. I wish I was like you. You're never afraid."

Claire notices Don weaving through the crowd. He's looking for her.

"There are plenty of things that scare me."


	4. Womanhood

Claire plows through university like a crazy, unstoppable juggernaut. Not only does she ace her classes, but she manages to stay in contact with Karen. They write to each other every week. Claire is going to see her in person soon. She couldn't have asked for a better situation, either. She has been offered a very fancy, high-paying job.

It's quite an accomplishment that she's diving straight into work after university. Although the position is not quite what she was hoping for, the job sounds decent enough. She'll be working at a theme park, probably something similar to Seaworld. Strangely, the company that contacted her is shrouded in secrecy. She looks them up online, and apparently they're responsible for the San Diego incident. There's a whole lot of complicated business links, and some of the search results are redacted. Claire's theory is that they have moved away from prehistoric animals and are now focusing on other pursuits. She will eventually be proven wrong.

Claire plans to attend orientation with Karen. From what she has been told, the company wishes to renew its image, which is why they're choosing someone with a modern attitude. Claire is very young for the job, but she graduated early, which earned her a lot of respect. She will have no trouble finding another job if this one turns out to be a dud.

Karen and Claire are brought to a lush, tropical island via boat. As they follow the guide through the resort, Claire notices something very peculiar about the park. There are dinosaurs everywhere. Not living ones, of course, but displays. Everything seems to have a prehistoric theme, from the murals to the shops. Claire speculates that the company has simply chosen a theme based on their previous endeavors. She is wrong about this, too.

They are brought to a large control room. Claire is astonished by how modern the equipment is. Everything is beautifully sterile. It looks like the kind of place where things get _done_.

"Dr. Dearing?"

Claire smiles as a man approaches her. She has learned to use her "work-smile" on these occasions, because her real smile is too genuine. He shakes her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard great things."

Claire laughs gently.

"Well, thank you."

She looks around.

"Will the others be arriving soon?"

The man blinks.

"Others? Oh, no. You're here alone. You were specially selected."

This is news to Claire. But it sounds very good . . .

"I'll explain everything while I show you around the lab. Your guest can wait here."

Karen gives her an encouraging thumbs-up and retreats to the corner of the room. Claire follows the man out the back door. Soon, they're in a pristine lab. Claire gawks at the equipment in amazement.

"You've probably figured out by now that our company went through a bit of a rough patch."

"I may have read something about that . . ."

The man smiles.

"I thought so. I was there when things started to collapse. It wasn't pretty. Today, however, we are back on our feet, and we are ready to reopen."

Claire nods.

"What do you do here?"

"Oh, surely you know _that_ . . ."

Claire shakes her head.

"I know you're involved with genetic . . ."

She's blanking on an appropriate word.

". . . stuff."

The man laughs.

"That _stuff_ , Dr. Dearing, is deextinction."

Claire cocks her head.

"Is that a real word?"

"It is now," the man beams, "For years, we have dreamed of bringing back what was previously thought to be lost forever. Now, we have the power to do that."

Claire blinks.

"Are you saying that you've made dinosaurs?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying."

He gives Claire a full tour of the facility, but she is uncharacteristically dazed. She can't help but wonder if she misunderstood his words, even though he was being clear as day. They have real, live dinosaurs. _Dinosaurs_.

When the man is done showing her around, she returns to the control room. She is horrified to see that Karen has somehow caused a scruffy-looking employee to spill his coffee all over his work station. Dozens of plastic dinosaurs are scattered throughout the liquid. It's like a miniature tar pit.

Once Claire has apologized for her sister's mistake, they are both taken down to the grounds for a more extensive tour. The man tells her about the company's history, scattering a few personal anecdotes in his speech. Apparently, he started work when his father died of a heart attack. He was a prodigy, not unlike Claire. She senses that something is not quite right about him, however. He hints about the fact that he hasn't maintained contact with his mother. He seems much too wrapped up in his work. Claire vows never to be like that.

The grand finale of the tour catches Claire off guard. She is brought to a small pen beside an enclosure, where a giant dinosaur is waiting. It's one of the ones with horns on its face. Claire peeks over the rail cautiously.

"Go ahead and pet her," the man suggests, "She's docile."

Claire shakes her head.

"I really don't think-"

Karen pushes her towards the fence.

"Do it."

Claire gulps and reaches forward, keeping the rest of her body as far away as possible. She taps the animal gently, and it moos. She gasps and pulls her hand back.

"What did I do?"

"Nothing," the man laughs, "She likes you."

The dinosaur turns around to face Claire. It tries to touch its beak to her hand, but she moves away.

"Do I . . . Do I have to do this every day?"

The man laughs.

"No, of course not. I just thought you might enjoy it. Vera is one of our most beautiful specimens."

Claire looks at the big, smelly dinosaur with disbelief. If this is what the pretty ones look like, she'd hate to see the rest of them. To her surprise, Karen is really fascinated by the creature. She strokes her muzzle, prompting her to moo again. Claire can't believe how much she's enjoying this. Stranger still, she's crying.

"Isn't she beautiful, Claire?"

"She looks like a big, scaly cow to me."

The man chuckles.

"Well, if you really don't like the dinosaurs, you won't have to deal with them that often. You'll probably be seeing a lot of the control room, and not much else."

He's telling the truth. For the next few weeks, Claire runs the entire park from her luxurious station. She learns the tricks of the trade as time goes on. By two months, she practically has it down to a science. She knows how to deal with certain people in order to get the best possible results. She's like a machine.

The only problem is Karen. She seems to think that Claire is missing out on family get-togethers. This isn't true. Claire makes sure that she never goes more than two weeks without initiating some form of contact. It's just more efficient to write letters, that's all. But Karen keeps insisting that they have to see each other in person. Claire just doesn't have the time. She's busy with work, and she loves what she does. What would be the point of flying back home for a couple of days when she could be making a _real_ difference?

The tipping point comes in December. Karen keeps pushing for Claire to attend their family Christmas party, but she simply can't. There are a billion employee parties that she's been invited to, and when all is said and done, she'll end up seeing them more often than her family. But Karen is adamant. Claire is shocked when she hears her crying on the other end of the line. She had no idea that it was so important to her. Nevertheless, she simply can't change her schedule.

Claire reassures her sister that there will be plenty of Christmases that they can spend together as a family, not knowing that her mother will die unexpectedly later that year.


	5. Adulthood

"I have a special job for you."

Claire is walking down the hallway with Henry Wu. They pass a group of workers, who shrink away in fear.

"You've had marvelous success in the past few months. The park couldn't have opened without you."

Claire nods.

"I'm glad you think so. I try my hardest."

They round the corner, almost bumping into a frazzled scientist. She backs away shyly.

"We've rounded up two new recruits who seem to fit our new program," Wu continues.

"Good," Claire replies, "Are they experienced?"

"No, but they're perfect for the job. Trust me."

"I do."

They have reached the lab. Wu holds Claire back as she tries to walk through the door.

"Listen, these two aren't . . . conventional."

"Conventional?" Claire echoes.

"Yes, but they're good at what they do. They're a team. Do you understand?"

Claire narrows her eyes.

"Dr. Wu, you're starting to scare me. Who are these people, exactly?"

"You can introduce yourself right now. They're waiting by the eggs."

He wheels around and walks briskly down the hall before Claire can protest. With a confused frown, she steps into the room. She sees two men sitting beside the circular incubation station. They certainly aren't dressed to impress. One of them looks up at her and blinks. Shortly after, he turns back to the eggs. Slightly irked, Claire clears her throat.

"Good morning, gentlemen."

The man looks up again.

"I guess you're here to say that someone will be with us shortly, right?"

Claire frowns in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you're the secretary, aren't you?"

Claire feels her insides boiling with rage. Every muscle in her body is screaming to punch him, but she holds herself back. She gives the sweetest smile she can muster and holds out her hand.

"Claire Dearing: head of Asset Management."

After a beat, he realizes what she means.

"Oh, right. It's just . . . I thought you'd be . . . you know . . . a guy."

Claire tilts her head.

"I'm a woman."

His eyes flit down and back up.

"I can see that."

He shakes her hand. As soon as he turns his back, she wipes it on her skirt.

"I understand that you're here for the imprinting."

The man nods as he strolls back to the eggs.

"Yeah, the scientist guy says that we'll be, like, touching these things so that they like us or something? . . ."

Claire nods.

"That's the general idea."

"Good," he says, "I can definitely see myself making a meaningful connection with someone in this room."

It takes all of Claire's strength to not roll her eyes.

"Imprinting is a natural way for animals to instigate a bond based on trust and res-"

"IT WIGGLED!"

Claire jumps in surprise as the man points at one of the eggs. His friend leans forward excitedly. After a moment, they realize that it was a false alarm.

"Well, it definitely moved," the man mutters, "Hey, how long does it take before they grow up?"

Claire smiles. She is prepared to answer these kinds of questions.

"With the accelerated growth rate, we can expect them to age about five times faster than regular assets. About eighty percent of our stock have been altered so that-"

He waves his hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah. What did you say your job is, again?"

Claire clenches her fists.

"I'm in charge of Asset Management."

"So, you manage a lot of . . . assets?"

Claire is about ready to slap him. Fortunately, something interrupts her.

"It's hatching! It's hatching!" the second man cheers excitedly.

They both lean in as a crack appears in one of the shells. Claire turns away and walks around the room idly, gazing at the equipment with boredom. The two men watch the eggs with fascination.

"Oh my gosh, she's so cute! . . . The dinosaur isn't too bad, either."

Claire turns just in time to see the second man cuff his friend. She decides that she's had enough of his remarks.

"Well, gentlemen, I'd best be finding Dr. Wu . . ."

"Aw, no. Don't do _that_ ," the first man whines, "You're missing a miracle."

Claire snorts.

"That _miracle_ happens just about every day at the park. I find it hard to get excited over an egg."

The man smiles.

"It's not just an egg anymore. Look."

He holds up a skinny, goo-covered animal. It squeaks and reaches out its emaciated arm. Claire cringes.

"Yuck."

The man cradles the animal in his arms.

"She's so tiny . . ."

Claire frowns.

"Careful with that. It cost us billions of dollars to create."

The man laughs as the creature nibbles on his finger. He stands up and walks towards Claire.

"Do you want a turn?"

Claire shakes her head.

"They should only imprint on you two. If I touch them, I could interfere."

"Alright. Suit yourself."

A few hours pass. When the last egg has hatched, the two men start playing with their animals in a small blanket-stuffed Tupperware. Claire checks her phone, then examines her nails. She doesn't speak to the men unless they talk to her first.

"Can we name them?"

Claire looks up in surprise.

"Name them? . . . Well, we don't usually-"

"This one looks like a Clarence," he says cheerfully.

Claire rolls her eyes.

"They're all female."

The man laughs.

"Well, I guess that explains why they don't have dino-wieners."

If Claire had been drinking, she would have spat out a cloud of water.

"You . . . They . . . Excuse me?"

He laughs.

"Relax, I'm just kidding. It's a little dad humor."

Claire shakes her head in disbelief.

"You're not their father; you're their alpha."

The second man snaps his fingers.

"Brilliant idea. Let's call them Bravo, Delta, Charlie, and Echo."

The man holds up the oldest dinosaur and points to her sides.

"Not this one. This one is Blue."


	6. Afterthoughts

Claire is crying. She doesn't remember how it happened or why she's doing it, but tears are pouring down her face like crazy. She coughs and hiccups as she sits at her desk, staring down at her papers blankly. She looks up a little and sees a picture of Karen, and her crying intensifies.

Utterly broken, she places her arms on the desk and weeps into them. Her shoulders shake, and she sniffles loudly. When she glances sideways at the mirror beside her desk, she realizes that she looks awful. She tries to dab the redness away from her eyes, but she only manages to get mascara all over her blazer. She gives a pathetic wail and grabs the phone. She dials her sister's number clumsily, and has to try a few times before getting it right. As soon as she has it, she whips the phone up to her ear.

'Hello?'

Claire takes a shaky breath.

"Karen?"

'Claire? Is that you? What's wrong? You sound upset.'

Claire sniffles.

"I . . . I don't know what's wrong. I just . . . everything is so sad, you know?"

There is a pause.

'Claire, are you drunk?'

"No!" Claire shouts, "I don't drink. I'm just sad all of a sudden and I don't know why."

Karen fiddles with her phone, causing the line to crackle.

'It sounds like stress. Are you stressed out?'

Claire chokes.

"I don't know. Everything is so complicated . . ."

There are voices from the other end. Claire hears Karen cover the phone. She says something that she can't make out, then lifts her hand.

'Claire, I need to put the kids to bed. Can I call you back in fifteen minutes?'

Claire sniffles.

"Okay . . ."

'Good. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back.'

Claire holds the phone to her ear for a long time after Karen hangs up. Slowly, she lowers her hand and places it on the desk. With an almost robotic movement, she opens the bottom drawer and pulls out an old record. She limps over to the cabinet at the other end of her office and places it on a dusty machine.

There is a period of scratching before the song starts playing. When the bass riff kicks in, Claire finds herself tapping her toes. As the melody becomes more intricate, she starts to bounce a little. When she's moving, the tears stop flowing down her face. She steps away from the cabinet and starts to swing her hips.

 _Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing, yeah yeah . . ._

Claire whirls around her office. She kicks up her legs and waves her arms. She spins around and wiggles like a worm. She's dancing.

A knock at the door nearly makes her jump out of her skin. She quickly pulls the needle off of the record and flattens her hair, which has become mussed up. Taking a deep breath, Claire makes her way to the door and opens it a crack. When she sees who it is, her eyes go wide.

"Owen?"

"I have some papers to drop off," he mutters, holding up a stapled form, "They told me I could leave them with you."

Claire takes the form from his hands and leafs through it.

"You didn't fill these out right, but that's okay. I'll do it myself."

Owen gives a guilty frown.

"I'm sorry. I'm not so good with forms. I'm just terrible at paperwork in general."

Claire whips around and marches across the room.

"I imagine you are. You strike me as the kind of person who hasn't had to work a day in his life."

Owen chuckles.

"You think you got me all figured out, don't you?"

Claire scoffs as she places the papers on her desk.

"There's not much to figure out."

She pauses. With a deep sigh, she turns back to Owen.

"I'm sorry. That was rude."

Owen shakes his head.

"Naw, it's fine. I'm used to it."

He waits in the doorway. Claire looks away awkwardly, but finds no legitimate excuse to dismiss him. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

"You should probably go."

Owen puts his hands in his pockets and nods.

"I'm sorry for bothering you."

Claire closes the door behind him once he's gone. She turns back to the record player and places her hand on the needle. After careful consideration, she turns the power off and closes the cabinet.

It's just safer that way.

 **The End**


End file.
